Lover or a Fighter?
by angelfeet
Summary: Boton has been watching over a young demon girl who left her old life in Makai for a new one in the Human world. She has to start school, but Yuske is too irresponsible to babysit, Kurama's fan club could kill her, and Kuwabara is...Kuwabara! Who's left?
1. Chapter 1

Angelfeet: ooh my gosh I just love Hiei!

Hiei: I don't like ningens!

Angelfeet: so what? I can make u like ningens..!

Hiei: impossible. You don't own me!

Angelfeet : ….. you MAY have a point, but…

(leans over and kisses Hiei on the cheek)

(Hiei is blushing madly)

Angelface: yeah that's what I thought!

On with the show! (I don't really own any of the YYH characters, buta girl can dream!)

Talking: hello!

Thinking: _hello! _

**Human World……**

It was a normal day in August for 16 year old Juri Migoto. She had just finished sweeping the porch of her house and was ready to go make breakfast for herself when she heard a weak whimpering from a rose bush next to her small pond. "I wonder what's making that noise," Juri said to herself. She walked over to the bush and carefully pulled back its thorny branches to reveal a small puppy. It's soft white fur was spotted with blood from the thorns piercing at its sides and looked very fatigued.

"You poor thing! Here, let me help you." Her slim hands reached for the small dog and were beginning to bleed from the thorns as well, but she didn't seem to notice. She finally pulled the dog from the bush and started cradling it in her arms. Once again, the puppy made noise as it felt a warm embrace surround its body. Then, Juri began to sing. Everything became peaceful and calming as her wordless song was carried in the air.

Then, all of the puppies wounds began to fade away, and it's fur began to glisten, and its eyes opened to see the face of his rescuer. There it saw a normal girl with wavy dark brown hair that reached passed her shoulders. Her creamy skin brought out her dazzling green eyes which looked back at his chocolate brown ones. The now lively puppy brought a smile upon her rosy lips as she started playing with him.

"Well, I'm glad that you feel much better now! Hmm…, would you like to stay with me, puppy? I get pretty lonely all by myself here." The small dog barked with glee as if he understood what she said. He jumped in her arms and licked her heart shaped face. "Haha, wonderful! Now I can't keep calling you Puppy. What shall I name you?"

The puppy jumped out of Juri's arms and wagged its tail. He jumped in the air and as soon as he landed, he began rolling over in the luscious grass and almost into the pond! "You're so silly," laughed Juri. "I guess since you like being silly, I'll name you Tawainai! Would you like that?" Tawainai's reply was another simple bark as it ran around his new master.

"You're funny! Ah, but now I miss Boton. She also always made me laugh." She looked around the yard to see if there was anything else she had to do. The flowers were already watered, the hedges were already pruned, the rocks surrounding the pond were shining and its water was clear, and now Taiwaina was still running around with new found energy. She looked over to a beautiful tree that provided shade to most of her garden. On its lowest branch, there was a swing tied.

She remembered her first encounter with a blue haired girl under that tree. She was dressed in a bright pink kimono and was riding a giant spoon. She accidentally flew into the swing and fell in front Juri as she was reading a book under the tree. A normal person would have panicked and act rashly, but Juri wasn't a normal person. "Do you need some help?" she asked the strange girl who was rubbing the back of her head. "Huh? Oh! You can see me!" she cried. She quickly grabbed for her spoon but saw that it was in Juri's hand in its normal size. "Here, I think you dropped this."

"Thanks! Uh, my name is Boton! Pleased to meet you, uh…"

"Juri Migoto."

"Juri Migoto! Yes, pleased to meet you!"

"Yes, nice to meet you, too!"

They shook hands and were now comfortably seated under the tree together. Juri had returned the grim reaper's spoon who accepted it while blushing with embarrassment. "So, how is it that you can see me? I don't sense any-" _How could I even consider the thought of her being a demon? She's just a normal girl! Maybe she has a high six sense!_ Juri noticed that Boton was beginning to have a battle with herself and spoke up. "I am…a type of demon." The blue haired girl looked at her with a curious gaze now as Juri continued.

"I used to be a warrior where I came from, but my talents were… frightening, especially to those around me. I fled here to the human world in hope of starting over. Living among these humans have made my life easier, since there is no one to challenge me." Boton looked at her with a soft gaze and looked way. "I'm glad that you feel at peace, but you can't live here without consulting the Spirit World. You could be considered as a runaway from the Makai region." Juri's eyes widened at Boton. Then the blue haired girl suddenly smiled. "But, I'll do you a favor. I'll put in a good word for you to Koenma. He'd have to approve you since you're a friend of mine!"

"You can do that?" asked Juri. "Of course! I'll just come and check in on you regularly. That means you'll be seeing more of me!" This put a smile on both of their faces. From that day on, they had gotten closer and closer as Boton continued to come every few days. She had given Juri company with every visit and they would always do fun activities together. But lately, Boton's visits would become briefer and less frequent.

_I wonder how you are now, Boton. I miss you, my friend._ "Tawainai! Let's go inside! The day is not yet done and I a lot of chores to do!" They both entered the house and Juri took one last look outside. Seeing that nothing or no one had appeared, she closed the door.

**Spirit World……**

Koenma was sitting in his large chair with his desk piled with papers and ogres running around. He chewed on his blue binki anxiously as he scanned though various files. "Sigh, I'll never be able to finish these papers. BOTON!" Boton rushed to his side, panting, holding papers in both of her hands. "Yes, Koenma?" _I'll NEVER get to see Juri with Koenma giving me so many assignments!_ "Where is my report on the latest criminals? Yuske's been taking care of these demons so fast that I don't think its necessary for us to keep having a top 10 list of the most wanted!"

" It's on your desk, sir, under your hand." Koenma quirked his eyebrow as he sweated from embarrassment. "I knew that! Now, why are you still standing there? Go file those papers!" But Boton remained where she was and looked at Koenma with pleading eyes. "Please, Koenma, I need to check in on Juri. I haven't been able to see how she is for a while already."

"School will be starting soon. I'll have Yuske look after her," he said in his annoyed-by-the-subject voice. "I'm sure that he can take care of it." Boton sighed and walked back to her duties. _This would be her first time as a high school student. She should be starting out in the same grade as Yuske, but he hardly ever attends his classes. Kuwabara wouldn't do for a guardian, since he's always hanging out with his friends and going to fights. I would ask Kurama, but he goes to a different school and she could get attacked by his fan clubs. But that only leaves…_ "Hiei…?"


	2. Chapter 2

Angelfeet: thank you all for the reviews! Now I'm gonna write some more for you guys!

Hiei: why am I stuck baby-sitting some weak female youkai?

Angelfeet: she's not weak! She can kick beat you at anything!

Hiei: Tch! She couldn't beat me at sweet snow eating contest! I always beat the detective and even that buffoon!

Angelfeet: well I hope that you have an appointment with the dentist, cuz after she beats you,this girl will keep u in there for a WHILE !

Hiei: you're on! Bring out the challenger!

(Juri walks in with Tawainai following after her)

Juri: uh, did someone call me?

Angelfeet: sit your self down and pick up a spoon Juri! We're going to have the sweet snow eating competition after this chapter!

Plz. Review!

The sun was high in the sky as Juri and Tawainai were walking down the street. Juri had a big bag of groceries in one hand and a bag from the pet store in the other. "I hope you like your new collar, Tawainai! It looks good on you!" The puppy barked in agreement and held his head up high as if to show off to everyone in sight. As they continued down the street, Juri noticed that there were some boys in front of one of the stores up ahead.

_Those boys don't look very nice. _She looked down at Tawainai, but he didn't look too bothered by it and still kept a few paces in front of her. _They look like there from the same school since they all wear the same blue uniform._ When Juri was about to pass them, two of them blocked her way.

"Hey there, cutie! What's in the bag?"

"Whoo! Nice skirt, babe!"

"How about you and me get to know each other a little better?"

"Why don't you stay a while, sweetie?"

_This is not what I had in mind. I got to get out of here!_ Tawainai, finally taking notice of the situation, began growling intensely at the small gang of punks. "Shut up, mutt!" said one. He tried to kick Tawainai, but he leapt up into the air and bit his hand as hard as he could. "YEE-OUCH! Why you little-!" The boy grabbed for Tawainai with his bleeding hand, but the dog narrowly escaped.

"Don't you go near my dog!" yelled Juri. She was ready to drop her things and prepare to fight, but she felt her demonic power rising. Her old senses were telling her to punish these boys severely, but she couldn't risk it. The smell of the boy's blood was already tempting her to do more then just throw a few punches at them. _I…MUST…control myself!_ "Hey, didn't your mom's ever teach you to never pick on girls?" Everyone's attention was turned to a boy dressed in a green school uniform with slick back black hair and a smirk on his face.

"IT'S UREMESHI! LET'S MAKE A BREAK FOR IT!" cried one of the boys. "No you don't!" the boy cried. He threw quick punches at their mouths and threw all of them down to the floor. "I think you all owe this girl and her dog an apology." The boys were groaning, but when the boy began cracking his knuckles, they immediately apologized the best as their broken mouths could. "That's what I thought. Hey, are you ok?"

"Oh yes, thank you very much. I'm Juri Migoto," said Juri, "and this is Tawainai" She pointed to the happy puppy whose mouth was covered in the boys blood from biting him. "Well like these punks said, I'm Uremeshi. Yuske Uremeshi." _Uremeshi? I think Boton told me about this guy before. _"Yuske, do you happen to know a girl named Boton?" A giant sweat drop appeared on his head. "Uh, did you say Boton? She wouldn't happen to have blue hair, right?"

"Yep, and she wears a pink kimono and rides a wooden spo-" Yuske put his hand over her mouth and looked around to see that there were still some people outside and the small gang was slowly regaining their senses. "Let's go talk at my place. It's not that far." Juri nodded and followed Yuske as he held her groceries for her. When they arrived at his apartment, Juri began to feel uncomfortable at the miniature land fill. "Yeah, don't mind the trash. I didn't expect company today," said Yuske.

He set her groceries on the table after her cleared it of trash and sat down on the sofa. "So how do you know Boton?" asked Yuske. "Not many people know the Grim Reaper of the Spirit World." _Hmmm, I don't sense any demonic energy from her, but I thought I did earlier before I saved her. Maybe it's because of all these back to back missions from Koenma. There giving me a headache! _"Well, she became my… guardian… since I live alone. She told me about you, though. I know about your missions and Koenma. I think what you do is cool." Yuske smiled with a little arrogance as she recalled all the missions he and friends had accomplish. "Well you seem ok in my book."

"Well, I will be starting at your school as soon as it starts." Tawainai was sitting on her lap as she was stroking him gently on the back. Yuske started thinking, _Oh, I think Koenma sent me a call about this girl. But then I don't really want to keep watching her. _"Well, I'm glad that you'd be coming. School's on Monday so you better get going. I gotta get this place cleaned up before my mom makes it a bigger mess when she gets home." After she gathered her groceries, and after Tawainai gave Yuske a playful bite on his pant leg, they said their good-byes and started her way home.

"He seems nice. What a long walk we have ahead of us, don't you think Tawainai? Well that's alright. We'll be home in time for me to make us some dinner." They were walking once again on the sidewalk, unaware of a crimson gaze following after them from the top of Yuske's apartment. "Well, I was going to tell the detective about our new assignment, but I guess he got the drift. Why does Boton want us to watch this pathetic girl? Her energy level is no where near threatening as that of a human. Hmph, humans… weak and useless, besides Yuske, though. That buffoon isn't so weak either, but he is still a buffoon. So why the girl?"

He silently followed her home and saw that she lived in a smaller version on Genkai's home. She was feeling around for her keys when she suddenly stopped._ I sense someone watching us._ She then continued to look for her keys. When she was finally able to unlock the door, she hastily went inside with Tawainai and locked the door. _How long was I followed? Ugh! Why didn't I notice earlier! This could be a demon from Makai, looking for a fight._ "Calm yourself, Juri. What would be the best thing to do at the moment?" _Fight of course!_

She stepped outside once again to confront whoever was outside, but her senses told her that no one was there. She looked around from the door entrance, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly the street lights were beginning to turn on as the sky grew darker. _No one's here. What a relief!_ Satisfied, she went back inside to cook dinner. Tomorrow is when she will start school and she would need lots of rest is she were to get up early.

plz send me reviews if u like it or not! the next chapter is when she goes to school!


	3. Chapter 3

Angelfeet: Ladies and gentlemen! Humans and Youkai! You are about to witness the ultimate sweet snow eating contest in history!

(crowd cheering wildly!)

Angelfeet: in this corner, we have the super fiery, super arrogant, and super HOTTIE: Hiei!

(crowd goes crazy and obsessed fan girls try jumping on set)

Angelfeet: yes, yes, super hottie and all. (whispers to security) don't let any of those girls near the contestants!) Next up, the challenger! She's sweeter the then sweet and doesn't know the meaning of brain freeze, the one and only….JURI!

(crowd goes wilder and fan girls try to get on set to rip her apart)

fangirl: she isn't worthy to be on the same set with Hiei!

fangirl: KILL HER! SHE"S EATING ICE CREM WITH **MY** HIEI!

Angelfeet: hush out there! Security! Get these girls off my set!

(big fight as giant security guards try to apprehend the fan clubs)

Angelfeet: ok! Time for the show! Bring out the 1rst of the 20,000 ice cream gallons!

(ice cream is placed in front of Hiei and Juri)

Angelfeet: On your mark, get set, eat!

We'll be back after the chapter! Plz. Review!

The sun was peeking through Juri's curtains as she was packing the last of her school supplies. "Well, the good thing is, I can pick up my books from the school today. That means I won't have to carry as much on the way there." She looks at Tawainai and sees that he has his leash in his mouth while he was sitting in front of the door, tail wagging. "Ah, you can't come, Tawainai! They won't allow you inside!" This remark only made the puppy whimper as it stood its ground.

Juri walked over to the door and bent down to the dog's face. She put on her best smile and said, "Who will watch the house for me while I'm away? I need a strong and brave security dog to protest the house till I come home." The dog cocked his head to the side and looked like he was thinking about his options. After a moment, he dropped his leash on the floor and stood out of Juri's way. "Aww! Good Tawainai! I knew I could count on you!" She pet him on the head, which made him so pleased, he chased his tail with much enthusiasm.

"You're a good boy! Your food is next to the fridge already set out for you, and your newly installed doggie door is out in the back. Take care!" She went outside and locked the door before making her long walk to school. _It's still early. I have plenty of time before school starts._ She skipped her way over to the crosswalk and waited for it say 'WALK' when she heard foot steps behind her. She saw a girl with short brown hair and dark brown eyes wearing the same uniform as her.

"Hello! Are you heading for Sarayashiki High school? I'm a new student," said Juri. The girl answered in a cheery voice, "Oh that's cool! I'm Keiko Yukimura! We could walk together." As they crossed the street, Juri felt the sensation of them being watched. _Grrr… this demon is beginning to annoy me! _"Hey Keiko, let's hurry it up a bit. I want to be the first to get my schedule before a line starts!"

They quickened there pace and Keiko kept on talking, but Juri wasn't listening. Her senses told her that the demon was still following them, but this time from a farther distance. _He's going by the roof tops. I hope there won't be a fight! I just made a new friend!_ She continued to walk with Keiko and kept her guard up until they reached the school grounds. "Well this is it! Let's go get our schedules!" said Keiko. "Alright, but first I have to check something in my bag. Go ahead, and I'll catch up with you later."

Keiko shrugged her shoulders. "Ok. See you in a bit!" After she was out of sight, Juri turned to the building opposite of the school. She didn't see anyone of the roof top, but heard a deep voice in her head. 'So you don't want to fight? That's fine with me, human. You couldn't stand a chance against me.' Juri looked earnestly around her, but still saw nothing except students around campus. 'Don't stress yourself, human. I'm communicating to you telepathically.'

Juri went cold for a second. He could read her mind, but apparently he didn't dig down deep enough to know that she was a demon. She then responded back in her mind 'Well then, why are you following me?' Silence. He had broke the connection between them. "Ugh! How annoying!" Juri muttered under her breath. She walked over to Keiko who had gotten both of their schedules already. "Look, we have half of our classes together!" said Keiko. Juri put the demon aside from her mind and enjoyed her time with her new friend.

That was until her first period. Her homeroom teacher, Mr. Akashi, was a pain in the butt. His rat teeth and balding hair was the first thing that stood out to her, until his nasally voice rung out, "Take your seat, young lady!" Before she turned to her chair near the window, Akashi held a lecherous look on her. _Pervert!_ 'You got that right.' The deep voice was talking to her again. When she sat down, she kept her head facing the board, but her eyes looked outside.

At the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of two crimson eyes that looked back at her from a tall tree. They stared at each other until Juri blinked; those eyes had disappeared and the tree was empty. 'You think my eyes are nice?' said the voice. Juri blushed lightly at the comment and continued to stare at the board. 'O-of course not! It's just that I've never seen eyes so red before!'

Hiei was on a higher branch of the tree that Juri was staring at earlier. He hid in the dark shade as he watched her take out a big book and bury her nose within its pages with deep interest. He broke the mental connection between them once again. _Hn… She thinks my eyes are nice and a unique shade of red. A human mind is so simple, they are filled with bewilderment whenever something new appears. _He continued to watch the girl until he felt bored with the silence. He focused on the girl's thoughts as she struggled to keep herself awake. Her thoughts washed over him like a wave.

_This is such a boring class. This teacher is so gross! I could feel his eyes whenever he tells me to stand up and read! Man, I'm so tired. Tawainai kept me up most of the night since he was moving around so much on my bed. I miss Tawainai! He could make me feel so much better right now._ Hiei immediately cut the link. What is this girl thinking! Hiei started to go over his own thoughts. _Who in the world is Tawainai? I must have heard wrong! But those were her thoughts! Grr…this human is making me nauseated! Why should I care about the safety of this girl! She means nothing to me! …………But there is something about her that makes me want to stay. I must find out who this Tawainai is!_

Hiei tried getting in Juri's head again, but while she was dozing in class, she unconsciously put a mind barrier weakened his telepathic power. He was only able to see a blurry vision of her sitting on a cliff. He concentrated even harder and was able to see her on the cliff over looking a sunset on the ocean. Blocking out everything around him, he was able to see a blurry figure next to her, but he couldn't get anything else out of it.

"There is something **_strange_** about this girl," Hiei said. He saw the class being dismissed to their next period when Juri looked outside at his tree once again. She was looking at the branch where she saw his _nice, red _eyes. Her thoughts just popped in his head, 'I'll try to get another seat as close to the window. Would you at least tell me your name?' She waited for that deep voice to flow through her head or those crimson eyes to appear from the shadow of the tree once again. Then she heard him respond, 'My identity is of no importance to you. I'll watch you, but from a distance. I am not going to be your friend, just a hired baby-sitter.'

Juri's face stayed in its cheery stage. She shrugged her shoulders and walked to the door. _Meanie! Now I really wish Tawainai was here!_ Hiei _accidentally _heard that and got irritated. _Who is TAWAINAI! Hn… I shouldn't care. She could have her pathetic boyfriend for all I care… which I DON'T!_ So the rest of the day, Hiei watched Juri in silence and refrained from making any more contact with her. When the day was over, Keiko suggested that she walk Juri home. Hiei was about to leave at that moment, but Juri politely declined and told her that she had to go run a few errands. _I STILL have to watch her? _He cursed her in his mind.

He saw her walking, but she was heading away from her house and to an empty park. She continued on her way through the grassy playground to the its farthest side near the forest. He followed her through the trees until she stopped in front of a large oak. She looked up at him from the ground; still as cheery as she was at the window. "Listen, you don't really like me, but you're following me around as a _babysitter_! I don't really like you, but I want to prove to you that I can whip your butt right now." Her challenge had brought out his attention. "What are the rules and conditions?" he said.

Juri smiled bigger. "No real rules. It's just that if I win, you have to be my friend." Hiei grimaced at her. She still couldn't see him, so she didn't faze. Hiei then said, "What will happen if I win?" Plainly, Juri said, "You won't have to watch me anymore. I can take care of myself." Hiei jumped down from the tree and landed directly in front of her. "You're a little over-confident, don't you think?" Juri finally saw him. He wasn't too tall, but his tall spiky hair made up for it. He wore all black with a white collar, and his crimson eyes had an intimidating glare.

"So, you are a demon," she said calmly. "Yes, I am, human. No spell or sutra's can ward me off. You still think that you can 'whip my butt'?" Hiei smirked. Juri just smiled again. She was in a really good mood now and was ready to show this demon what she was made of. Their arena was still, except for the wind blowing across the grass and through the leaves of the trees. "I know that you think a human can't beat you, but what about an ex-warrior from the horrible trenches of Makai?" Juri's hair was changing from dark brown to a silvery gray shade. Her nails grew to claws and tiny fangs sprouted from her mouth as it curved to a devious smile. Her green eyes gleamed with exhilaration when her transformation was complete.

"I'd love a good sparring right about now," Juri's welcoming voice said. Her spirit energy was much stronger now and her senses had reawakened. Hiei stood with his arms crossed as he observed her new form. "Not bad. I knew there was something strange about you. But enough talk," he said as he took off his black cloak to reveal a black undershirt with its sleeves ripped off, and his hand rested on the hilt of his deadly sword, "let's get this over with."

PLZZ… REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

Angelfeet: WOW! The ice cream match is so intense! Hiei's flames of what seems to be of… FRUSTRATION!... is melting most of his own sweet snow!

Hiei: (Gulps down another spoonful of sweet snow.) Damn this woman! (Gulps)

(Juri is shoveling ice cream down her throat, looks at Hiei, and smiles)

Hiei: (Gulps) SHE'S MOCKING ME! (Gulps)

Angelfeet: well folks, these two competitors have already gone though more then half of the ice cream and are still going! I wonder who will win!

Juri: (Glulps) AF, what is it that we get when one of us will win? (Gulps)

(both contestants stop eating and look at AF expectantly)

(AF has a giant anime sweat drop on her head.)

AF: well, the both of you will get your own membership at LA Fitness!

(both contestants get very angry)

AF: well who could blame me? Look at all the sweet snow you're eating!

(both drop their spoons and charge after AF, who tries to out run them, but since they're demons, their metabolism burned off all the ice cream before they got fat.)

AF: hey how was I supposed to know that you guys could burn fat that fast!

Every one enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The fighters stared intently into the others eyes, waiting for someone to make the first move. Juri's pupils were stretched like a cat's as she stared into her opponent's unflinching eyes. _He isn't intimidated. That's not a first._ 'Why? Should I be intimidated in the first place by a _second class_ demon?' Her nose wrinkled at his intrusion with her thoughts. "Stop reading my mind!"

"Fine. It wouldn't be that much fun if I didn't give you a chance to plan your loss." Hiei's voice didn't sound arrogant or cocky. He had many battles before her, where he learned that it didn't matter how a fighter was like on the outside, but how they fought was all that mattered. He hadn't seen her fight, so he remained cautious.

"Since you won't start," Juri said as she cracked her knuckles (think of how Inuyasha does it), "I will!" She lunged at him with rapid speed and tried to land a blow on him, but Hiei was too fast for her. He appeared behind her, sword ready, and went for the kill. His sword went through her back, but no blood spewed from it. Instead, the body faded out. "An… after-image."

He looked over his shoulder to see Juri standing a few feet away with her arms crossed, just exactly how he does at times. "I thought you of all people would have noticed," she said with a bored voice. She lunged at him again, but her claws glowed an eerie red. "SOUL SHREDDER!" she cried as her claws swung at Hiei. He jumped out of the way in time to see the trees stripped of their bark. "I don't like being called a second class demon by anybody!"

Hiei stood before her with a satisfied look on his face. "What are you so happy about?" Juri demanded. Suddenly her clothes shredded and blood began to soak blood through. She staggered a few steps before falling on the grass as the pain began to finally rush throughout her body; Juri suppressed a scream of anguish and frustration. "Ouch, these are some serious paper cuts…" she said through clenched teeth. This guy was better then she thought, but this wouldn't stop the fight. She rose to face him once again, with a different tactic on her mind.

Her clawed fingers glowed an eerie red once more as she lifted them to the sky. Then, seemed to have torn the sky above her apart, she jumped into the new tear and disappeared. "Hn… your tricks won't help you again, onna." Hiei readied his sword as he looked around him. Nothing. He looked above to the tree tops and then to the abandoned playground. Still nothing. He closed his eyes and listened for any sounds. His Jagan Eye, still covered under his white headband, searched for her spirit energy, but found nothing as well. _Stupid Onna! Where are you?_ Then another tear was heard… right above him!

Hiei quickly looked up to see Juri slash for his face! He bent backward, but her attack landed on his chest. His shirt was also shredded, and four deep gashes was on his very close to his heart. "Don't mess with the best!" Juri exclaimed when she jumped out of her portal and landed in front of her opponent. She scratched at him furiously with her claws glowing brighter with each blow that landed. Hiei managed to defend himself with his sword and tried to slice Juri's hands off, but she had ducked at the wrong time and had her hair chopped instead.

Juri flipped and was able to kick his chin upward. When she landed, her shaking hand reached for her hair. "You… are SOOO…." She raised her claws in the air once more and prepared for her ultimate move, but suddenly her vision went blurry. "Ugh… how dare…" She felt herself falling toward the ground and waited for the impact, but it never came. She barely made out Hiei's face looking back at hers as her vision faded to black.

Juri woke up to see that she was in her room and it was dark outside. She tried to get up, but noticed that she was bandaged up and wearing one of her oversized sleeping shirts and short boy boxers. "Huh? How'd I…." she looked around her room until her eyes fell on a pile of her shredded uniform. Her memory began to recall the fight and Hiei catching her. Her brain began to process the information. "If my clothes are there, and I'm bandaged head to toe here, that means…. AAAAHHH!" Hurried footsteps flew to her door, which flung open to reveal the blue haired grim reaper with a worried expression on her face. "Juri! Is everything all right?" She was too stunned to respond. Mixed feelings of happiness and confusion swelled up in her mind. Boton's face changed from worry to relief when she saw that her friend was alright. "Don't scare me like that! I got so worried when I heard that you and Hiei were fighting!"

She went to Juri's side and sat down next to her with one of her cheery smiles on her face. "Since you're a demon, I thought that your wounds would heal faster," Boton said as she rewrapped an undone band aid. "Yeah, but when I'm in a good mood, I will. My pride's hurt. I lost to that…that…ARGGH!" Juri put her head between her legs as she thought of Hiei catching her, as if it was adding insult to injury.

"Don't stress about it. Hiei said that you'll have a rematch since you lost too much blood." Juri continued to sulk with her head between her legs. "But the battle was so short, too! How could I have lost that much blood?" Boton just shrugged her shoulders. Then, a group of footprints and voices were heard outside the door.

"What do you mean she wanted to fight!"

"A real man wouldn't fight a girl!"

"You should have just let it go, Hiei."

"Hn.."

"Don't you 'Hn' at me, you shrimp!"

"Why shouldn't I, you buffoon?"

"Hey guys break it up! You'll make Yukina spill the tea!"

"Shh! You boys are so loud, you might have woken up the girl"

The door opened to reveal Yuske, Keiko, Hiei, a boy that Juri recognized as Kuwabara from school, a long haired red head who also had green eyes like herself, and a light green haired girl with turquoise eyes that looked like the ice maidens in Makai.

"Juri, I'd like you to meet a few more people. When they heard that you were hurt, they wanted to come and help you get better and apologize for Hiei's behalf."

Then Yuske opened his big mouth. "And we also heard that Hiei almost lost to a girl!" He and Kuwabara began laughing so hard that they were close to hitting the floor, if it wasn't for their hands supporting them on their legs. But this didn't stop Hiei from kicking both of them on their backsides, causing them to fall flat on their faces.

Hiei muttered a curse under his breath at them and then looked at the bandaged Juri who was being introduced to Kurama and Yukina. He looked from the blood stained bandages to her green eyes. They had dulled from their shining and happy to a dark and disappointing look. Although she tried hard not to show it to the others, he saw that her pride was bruised. _Human emotions are of no use for a demon. _"Hiei, stop staring and apologize!" Everyone was looking at him, including Juri, whose facial expression changed back to normal. "Hn." Hiei turned at left with his arms crossed as always.

"That's his way of saying 'I'm sorry, but I'm too good to admit it.'" said the one named Kurama. He was very nice and sincere to Juri, but that's his nature. _Well, at least this guy is nice to me. And he's pretty good looking, too. Maybe when I get better I could ask if we could go to the school's upcoming festival. _'Don't you even think it, onna!'

Juri was wondering when Hiei would respond. 'What I do is none of your buisiness! And why are you calling me onna? I have a name.'

Juri felt angry vibes when Hiei's thoughts returned. 'I call you onna because I want to. I don't care for your name. And the Fox is not going with some girl to a dumb human festival.'

Juri looked up to Kurama and put an innocent face. "Hey Kurama, how'd you like to come to our school's festival next week? My wounds would have healed by then. Yukina, you have to come, too! It would give me a better chance to get to know you better.

"Thank you for the offer, Juri. I'll be going with Kazuma since he offered to be my escort earlier today." Kuwabara just looked goofier then normal when he smiled and blushed at Yukina.

"And Yuske promised he would go with me, without any running off!" Keiko said as she pulled on his ear. "Ouch! Why do yout always make me go to this kind of stuff?" Juri just laughed and looked at Boton with pleading eyes. "I'll try to get off work and meet you there, I promise," Boton said with wink.

Kurama looked at Juri and gave her a warm smile, which would normally make all the girls in their self made Shuichi Fan Clubs melt. "Well, since Boton might show up later and Hiei, being Hiei, would rather to be by himself, I'd be happy to escort you." Then the door suddenly opened with Hiei, with his arms crossed and a icy glare. "What are you saying about me, Fox?"

His glare didn't effect Kurama as he answered, "I meant nothing by it. I'm just saying that you wouldn't want to go to this festival. But in case you change your mind, you can meet with Boton and-" Hiei growl cut off his sentence. "I will not go with the ferry girl. I will go when I feel like going."

Yuske just put his hands on his head. "Suit yourself, but if you go by your self, you'd have to pay. Couples go in free." This made Juri blush and look at Kurama who didn't notice the last thing mentioned. Hiei's glare was on Juri when she blushed and then turned back to Yuske. "I don't need to pay. I can find my own way in."

Kuwabara pointed at Hiei's clothes while he said, "You don't dress like a **normal** person! You'd stick out like a sore thumb!" Hiei did his signature 'Hn.' "I can supply myself with a weak human attire, such as your self, instead of my better taste in my outer appearance.' Kuwabara got very irritated after a few seconds of trying to comprehend what was just said. "Why you little shrimp! I'll-" But Hiei continued, "But like I said, I will not go with the ferry girl."

Juri looked at Boton letting out a sigh of relief, but then went glum. "Oh, I don't have any money! How would I be able to get in by myself?" Keiko quickly said, "Don't worry! We could all pitch in. It's only…" She thought back to the price of one ticket and remembered that she wouldn't be allowed any free food or rides like the rest of them, and those cost money. "Uh, anyone have any better ideas?"

Everyone was in deep thought except Hiei, because he didn't really care, and Kuwabara because…well because he was Kuwabara! "Wait!" said Yukina, "I have an idea. Why not Kurama go with Boton instead and Juri can go in with Hiei? That way everyone can go in for free!"

_Aww…_ Juri thought with her best fake concern_, I won't walk in with Kurama?_ 'Did I spoil your plans, onna?' Juri pretended to pierce daggars at Hiei with her eyes. He just rolled his eyes and walked out again. _I had a whole day planned for us and everyone, but now it will get even more interesting._ Juri thought after she made sure that Hiei had broken their connection.

* * *

I hope that you all enjoyed this chappie! Review review! Oh and I apologize if ppl get confused with the dialogue always being so close together. I put them in more paragraphs for those who get confused! Thanks for the heads up! 


	5. Chapter 5

(Juri walks in her room, tired from chasing AF around the place)

Juri: (sighs) Man, AF may not be able to run that fast, but she can hide pretty good!

(Juri's about to jump on her bed when she sees Hiei resting on it)

Juri: Nani! Get off my bed and out of my room!

Hiei: I'm not budging, Onna.

Juri: You always sleep in the trees! Go out there!

Hiei: No. I claim this bed mine.

(Juri starts fuming so much that smoke comes out of her ears)

Juri: GET OUT!

Hiei: Make me.

(Juri whistles for Tawainai)

Hiei: you think this dog can get me to leave? You're an idiot.

(Juri whispers something to Tawainai, the dog nods his cute head and leaves)

Hiei: what are you up to?

(Juri and Hiei look outside the window and sees Tawainai 'marking' Hiei's tree)

Hiei: why you… I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU STUPID DOG!

(Hiei is chasing Tawainai around while Juri sleeps on her bed)

Hope you enjoy the chappie!

* * *

The sun was out and shining and its light pierced though Juri's window and lit up her room. Her sleeping form remained on the bed, unaware of the sun's warmth overcoming her. As she continued to snooze, the pitter patter of Tawainai's paws came closer and closer to her door. He pushed the ajar door with his short pointed nose and trotted his way toward his mistress.

He tilted his head to the side as he watched her breathing evenly and steadily, and then turned his attention to the window. His brain went over these things:

# 1. The sun is out

# 2. Mistress likes to get up early

# 3. Mistress needs to eat

# 4. Mistress needs to walk with me

So, with that kind of logic, the puppy began to lick Juri's face! "Tawainai!" Juri groaned, "It's too early for me to get up." But unfortunately, Tawainai's plan of getting her up worked. She was unable to go back to sleep and the look on his face was so innocent, like that of a child.

"Hm, I wonder what it would be like if I can make you into a half wolf demon. Wouldn't that be fun?" She slowly rose and examined herself and her bandages. "I think that I should get rid of these, don't you think?" Tawainai barked in agreement and chased his tail while Juri began to sing once again.

The tune was unmistakable to Tawainai. He remembered when his mistress used it to heal him, and that was how there bond had began. When he was finally able to get a nip at his tricky tail, Juri was as good as new. "It's almost 12:00 so that means we have to hurry up with our chores." She walked out her room, followed by the loyal puppy, but then she caught a glimpse of her tattered uniform.

"I forgot that I have school! Yesterday _was _the first day, after all!" She looked at the remaining shreds and then at the house. Half empty chip bags were scattered on the floor, shoe marks and scuffs on her wooden furniture and her refrigerator was open, only to reveal the few morsels of food left. "Guys can be pigs when it comes to free food and an open house."

Throughout the day, instead of going to school, she cleaned up the entire house. (With the help of Tawainai, of course)! By the time she was done, she was exhausted. "Now that that's done, I have to go buy some more groceries." Juri thought back to the time when she encountered the small group of boys that were harassing her after she had bought some food last time.

"I don't want to go back and go through _that_ again! Especially after that fight with Hiei, I'm pumped for another round!" Even though she had just said this, Juri knew that she had to buy food. But when she was about to change out of her oversized shirt and boxers, she heard her knocking coming from her front door. _Who could that be?_

Unwilling to think of possibilities of who it _could _be, Juri went to the door. When she opened the door, Keiko and Kurama stood at the doorway with grocery bags and books at hand. "Hey Juri! You look much better," said Keiko, who was still wearing her uniform. "Wow," said Juri in surprise, "You guys didn't have to do this." She let them inside and helped them set everything on her clean kitchen counter top.

"Well after seeing how Yuske and Kuwabara made your room into a natural disaster, we decided to come over and help clean up," said Kurama, "But it looks like you already went through the trouble. Your cleanliness is remarkable." Juri laughed and blushed a bit. She wasn't used to being praised for cleaning. She saw Keiko swiping her finger across table and laughed at her expression when not a speck of dust was found. "This is how I choose to live: neat and tidy. It's a weird habit."

Then her attention was brought to the pile, or mountain of books that her guests had brought. "Oh, this is your homework," said Keiko. Juri's mouth dropped anime style at the site. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think! Well, maybe it is." She looked at Juri's sulking face at joked, "Now you're being overly dramatic like Yuske."

Kurama sat down beside Juri, who had collapsed on her white couch; this made her blush a bit since she was still in her pajamas. "We promise to help you with your homework. It could be like a study group thing." Of course Kurama made things much better.

"Ok then," agreed Juri. She asked Keiko and Kurama to wait in the living room while she would go and change. When she closed her bedroom door, she was grinning from ear to ear. _Yeah! Having friends is awesome! Now I can get through my homework and not worry about that short meanie coming in and watch me!_ She changed into a regular gray shirt with black sweat pants and joined her companions. She found them with their books open and pencils out. _This is going to be an interesting afternoon…_

* * *

In the trees of the abandoned park, Hiei was lounging around a tree branch, hidden within its green leaves. He noticed that some of the leaves were beginning to turn red and yellow, but that didn't bother him. The sudden Fall winds didn't send shivers through his skin, as he remembered humans bundling up during this time.

He thought about last night when he announced that he would go to their festival. He scowled at the thought of him being paired up with Juri. _That weak 3rd rate demon isn't even worth going with. Why did I want to go in the first place. That girl must have tricked me! She'll pay…_

Since he started thinking about his unfortunate pairing, he couldn't stop thinking of Juri. He tried to ignore his thoughts of her by going farther into the woods of the park and train on his own. With his black cloak off and katana out, he would slice through the air as if there was an opponent three times his size. But with each swing of his sword, it brought memories of their first fight.

He growled even more at this! He put away his weapon and picked up his cloak. "Some meditation should work." He said out loud to no one in particular. "Stupid girl. You're nothing but a thorn in my side!" He sat on a giant boulder besides a dried up stream and began his meditation.

Everywhere was at peace and Hiei breathed deeply with his eyes closed. He cleared his mind of everything, or at least tried. It felt as if the environment around him had a bit of Juri inside them. The songs of the birds was her voice, the trees secluding him from everything outside was like her protective nature over her dog, and the suns warm rays reminded him of when he had grabbed her before she hit the ground of their fight. _She was warm, too…_

Hiei snapped back to reality, disgusted with himself! He had just _MET_ her and he couldn't get her out of his mind! _I've been around these humans too long. They let their emotions run wild and make hasty and regretful decisions!_ He pulled on his cloak and jumped back into the trees. _I need to get some sleep. _

* * *

It was close to 9 o' clock by the time the three were done with their studying and their homework. Juri thanked Keiko and Kurama for their help and walked with them to the door.

"No need to thank us! It was fun studying with you," said Keiko. "At least you want to study and not goof off like _some_ people I know." They all laughed picturing Yuske and Kuwabara doing everything that wasn't productive or had any point. "Maybe Kuwabara went to look for his cat, while Yuske's laughing at him for actually believing that his cat ran away when Yuske hid him under a laundry basket!"

"That's usually the case," chuckled Kurama. When Juri opened the door to bid them good-bye, sure enough, there was Kuwabara running around the block crying, "Eikichi! Where are you!" Sure enough, Yuske was snickering behind him. "Those guys are so predictable!" said Keiko

PLZ READ AND REVIEW! THANKS!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody, sorry for the late update! I had Midterms!

Juri: AF? What is your ideal guy?

AF: well, for starters, I like the type of guy who makes people laugh!

(both look at Hiei chasing Tawainai around for "marking" his tree)

(both girls laugh)

AF: and I like the type of guy that always looks out for me.

(Juri reaches for her sweet snow, but Hiei uses his incredible speed to take it from her)

Hiei: I deserve to eat the sweet snow! Your dog has been a nuisance to me!

(he takes a bite but his eyes begins to water)

Hiei: GAHH! This tastes like wasabi! My mouth is BURNING!

(Hiei's fan club, who are trying to hide behind the bushes, cry because their plan to torture Juri failed because their beloved Hiei ate it!)

AF: and he has to always be there to protect me!

(Hiei fan girls jump out of the bushes and head for Juri)

fangirls: how dare you try to take Hiei away from us!

(Hiei comes back from cooling down his mouth with REAL sweet snow)

Hiei: what's going on here, onna- chan?

Fangirls: EEK! IT'S HIEI! LET'S GET HIM!

(fangirls chase Hiei all over the world)

Juri: do you think Hiei fits those requirements with me?

AF: maybe, you never know!

Please enjoy this next chapie! It has a BIG twist!

* * *

It was the next day, and Juri was well enough to go back to school. She hastily ate her breakfast and grabbed her bag and house keys before kissing Tawainai on his clean furry head. "You be good now, ok? Don't wander off too far when you go out the back. I don't want little kids to see you and take you away!" Juri thought back to her fenceless and hedge less backyard. The only thing they had for a barrier were the trees that were part of the abandoned park that she and Hiei fought at. _Just you wait, Hiei! I'll beat you next time!_

Tawainai whined as he watched his mistress leave. She looked back and gave him a sympathetic look. "I'll be back soon, so protect the house while I'm gone!" The door closed and Juri was gone. The puppy remained where he was, sitting in front of the door, with a strange look in his eyes. He seemed to be waiting for something before he finally move, as if he was waiting till it was completely safe. He sauntered over to his doggie door at the back door, taking his time before he got to the exit. When he got outside, he changed gears and bolted across the grass, pass the pond and swing, and strait to the trees before finally disappearing into thin air.

"Wake up, Miss Migoto! Class is still in session!" Juri snapped her head back to attention, but her eyes still showed signs of drowsiness. _Maybe I shouldn''t have tried to study so hard yesterday. This history test Mr. Jones passed out isn't hard at all!_ She played with her pencil as she let her eyes wander across around the room and examine her classmates. Most were doing their own thing: reading books, whispering the latest gossip, passing notes and evil drawings of the teacher, and staring at their latest crushes.

Juri caught one guy looking at her from the other side of the room. His light brown hair looked ruffled from his friends' constant head rubbing, which she just saw them do, but he didn't seem offended at all. It was just their childish way of saying they were all good friends. His rich laugh always made his blue eyes sparkle and it showed off his pearly whites. On the Cutest Boys chart in the girls restroom ranked him 2nd best in the district. (Shuichi Minamo/ Kurama was obviously 1st. Juri still couldn't figure out how every school seems to have their own fan club dedicated to him).

_Hayate Matsumo. He's a nice guy._ She looked outside the window and sure enough, a pair of familiar crimson eyes stared back at you. Since her history class was located on the northern building, there weren't many trees for Hiei to hide in, but somehow he managed to find one a little farther from the window then usual.

'The stupid grim reaper wanted me to watch you again.'

'Really? I don't need any protection.'

'She says that you still might not be at 100, so I'm going to watch you for a while.'

'But she called me last night and said that I'm ok.'

Juri saw him narrow his eyes at her, but she was too far to see him lightly blush. He wasn't really sent to watch her; he just couldn't get her out of his mind at the moment. Thinking that by observing he could get tired of her, Hiei decided to come on his own.

'She just told me to watch you. She obviously doesn't trust her own judgment.'

'Fine by me, then.'

She also narrowed her eyes at Hiei and started a **glaring** contest. Even though the terms weren't set, somehow they both knew that the loser would have to acknowledge that the winner is more superior and make it known when they rejoin the group again. 'Give up, woman. You're no threat to me.'

The girl intensified her glare to a point her eyes were almost as red as his, but like he said, it had no effect. He remained stone cold and stolid. She didn't hear the bell ringing, the kids leaving, the teacher cursing, or the footsteps coming toward her. The footsteps belonged to happy and confident Hayate whose been crushing on Juri since the first day of school. "It's a nice view from this class. You can see almost ½ the city." He didn't sense that she wasn't listening to him and ignorantly continued. "Uh… Juri? I was kind'a wondering if you'd like to come with me to the festival next week. I can get us real good discounts at the Mochi stand the Baking club is putting together."

Even though Juri didn't hear a word he said, Hiei somehow managed to know what he was asking her with his demon senses. _Stupid Human. You shouldn't ask someone who isn't worth the trouble._ But as he searched deeper through Hayate's thoughts, he scowled. Hayate had been planning to meet Juri for a long time and had been practicing for a moment like this. He was hoping that Juri would definitely fall for him like most of the other girls at the school and be his girlfriend; knowing that she is a different kind of girl is what attracted him. There was something that caught his eye when she walked through the door that made him feel differently.

Hiei's scowl still remained. _What is so interesting about her that you just couldn't wait to talk to her? She isn't **that** attractive._Hiei stopped that thought for a moment about what he just thought and silently disagreed with himself. _She deserves respect since she is a… worthy opponent. BUT THAT'S ALL! _Juri finally noticed Hayate's reflection on the window and turned around to face him. "Hey there, Hayate! I'm sorry but did you say something?"

Now the boy felt embarrassed that she hadn't listened to a word he practiced saying in front of his mirror. No matter. He repeated his request a second time and waited for her response. "Sorry, but I'm already going with someone. She looked for a sign of disappointment but instead found determination. "Don't worry about it, Juri. I'll meet you at the festival anyway with your friend. I'm sure I can get along with her." She sighed.

_Wasn't it once said that ignorance is bliss? This guy is the living proof to that. Or maybe it was denial that I rejected him on his first try._ "I'm not sure my **friend** would be comfortable. Besides, we're going to meet a group of friends at the festival, and I don't want you to feel left out since they might not be your type of group." Juri thought back at Yuske and Kuwabara's periodic aruguments, then being followed by a fist fight or two. Keiko would be trying to tell Yuske to stop and severely punch him across the face. Boton would try to get Yukina and herself to go to every stall with her and help decied on which product she should buy. Then Kurama and Hiei would be off doing their own thing.

"Maybe we'll see you there a little afterward," Juri added. She felt regretful at saying this because his face lightened up. "Great! I can't wait to see you there!" Juri then tried to think of what she could do now since shw was planning to have fun with her new friends and probably humiliate Hiei at some of the game stands they have. Hayate looked up at the clock and saw that they only had a few minutes to get to their next class together so he offered to carry Juri's books.

When they reached class, everyone was already in their seats and chattering up a storm. Hayate returned her books to her when she sat down before he joined up with his friends. They could tell that he had scored BIG time!

"Dang, Hayate! You finally got a date with that babe, Juri?"

"Dude, she's hot!"

"I heard she used to go to a Modeling school and she posed for magazines in Paris!"

"Dude, she's Japanese! How could she have been in Paris?"

"Her parents must have moved over there before. Look at her! She's way better looking then all the other girls here!"

"Yeah, she's gotta be from somewhere else!"

"Man, I wish I was you…"

"So, you two gonna get together afterwards?"

"If she dumps you, can I date her?"

Even though Juri was far away, her high sense of hearing allowed her to listen in to their conversation. She rolled her eyes and pulled out her earphones. She didn't have a window seat, so it would be hard to tell if Hiei would peek in her mind or not, so she brought music to tune out her thoughts. She couldn't have him know what possibilities are in store for him at the festival!

* * *

At the mouth of a mysterious looking cave, the young puppy was watching the black waves crashing against the rocks. The salty air comforted him little and it wasn't the cold air that gave him the chills. Suddenly, the hair of the back of is spine rose as he sensed a powerful aura appear from behind him. He turned in time to see a well built demon with auburn brown hair tied up in a small ponytail and malicious golden eyes, but his black pupils were like voids that could suck the life out of everything. He only wore a silk robe the color of blood with the sign of 'Death' painted on the back and white pants.He looked very handsome, but looks are deceiving. With each step he took, the small dog felt more nervous and afraid.

"You look alive and well, Tai. I've been worrying about my faithful servant for days and he returns looking better then ever." The demons voice was so calm and welcoming, but so dangerous at the same time. "Get out of that dog form and tell me where you've been," the demon commanded.

'Tai' lowered his head and looked at his paws. They grew to a normal human hands and feet and he felt his tail shrink back into nothing. He watched his arms and legs stretch and his glorious white fur shed to the floor with normal chocolate eyes. A healthy looking 10 year old boy stood exposed only for a little while; he transformed the fur of his stomach into a regular white shirt and white pants. He looked up to the demon through his white medium length hair and kept his fanged mouth shut. The pointed ears at the sides of his head tried to continue listening to the ocean, but fear had still taken over the young pup.

For the first time in a while, Tai spoke. "A fellow demon took me under her care. She may be the one you're looking for, Master Gouta." The demon looked into Tai's eyes and somehow, those two black voids pierced through his soul. The demon learned all he needed to know with one long look at the trembling boy. "A runaway from the Makai region. A free- spirited warrior with a bounty on her head. Sounds like she killed a lot of people in her day. She'll be perfect," Gouta smiled.

Tai turned to run back to the house before the demon added, "Oh and Tai, no running away again or else I'll kill the rest of your kin." He dispersed but his cackling ricocheted of the walls of the cave and echoed for what seemed like an eternity. Tai once more bolted for the edge of the cliff until he jumped high in the air and disappeared into nothing. _Mistress Juri…will you be able to escape this fate?

* * *

_

Do you like it? please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everybody, sorry for the late update! I had SAT's! (can u believe it was right after Midterms!)

(AF playing on the computer in her room)

(Juri quietly slips in through the window without AF noticing)

(Juri peeks over AF's shoulder to see an RPG computer game with cute avatars and graphics)

AF: DIE GIANT SLUG! Ha! That's 200 gold pieces for me! WHO'S NEXT!

(Juri continues to peek over AF's shoulder as Hiei hops in the room through the window and eyes the game over her other shoulder)

Hiei: _What a stupid game. Juri, why don't you tell her to stop messing around and update? _

Juri:_ If I do, she might write something that I wouldn't like to do in the story because I interrupted her game. _

Hiei: _You're such a scardy cat!_

Juri: _Then YOU do it, tough guy! _

(Hiei rolls his eyes and is about to tap AF on the shoulder)

AF: I wonder if I should start updating now. Hm… If someone were to interrupt my winning streak now, though, I will have to exploit and embarrass them on the new chappie. If it was Juri, I would have her being chased by a mad group fan boys while she is in her towel cuz she was just getting out of the shower. If it was Hiei, I would have him be hog tied by his fan girls and… well I don't want to get too descriptive about that! Those girls are freaky!

(Juri and Hiei's eyes pop out big and begin to sweat chibi style, but Hiei's hand is still reaching for AF's shoulder)

AF: if I caucht BOTH of them trying to get me off this game, I will have to give them a giant make out scene infront of the YYH gang, plus both of their fan clubs, so that way, both of them will have to face the obsessed fan peoples wrath!

(AF turns looks behind her to see no one at all)

(AF smirks)

AF: works every time! Enjoy the chappie!

* * *

Juri was leaving her last class with a glum look on her face. She had just ran into the student body staff who was putting the festival together. She didn't stand a chance against their attack.

_Flashback… _

"_Ah Juri! How are you feeling?" _

"_Much better, thanks" _

"_Can you do us a little favor, Juri?" _

"_Huh? Sure, what?" _

"_Our soloist from the Musical Arts club got a bad case of the cold at the last second. She had an amazing voice, but in her condition she can't sing a thing." _

"_We need you to fill in for her, if that's ok?" _

"_GAH? Me! I'm sorry, but I-" _

"_WE can't take no for an answer. We must have you sing!" _

"_Ah, but, I-I-I'm not very good-"_

"_Don't lie to us, Juri! We heard you sing by yourself a few days ago in the band room. It was so beautiful! So it's settled then. You will sing!" _

_End Flashback… _

"Those girls never gave me a chance to say that I don't sing in public! How is it that every time I would try to say something, they could interrupt me with their innocent, pleading eyes and continue!" Juri thought of Tawainai and how he would do that when he wanted something at home or when they were walking. "Well, I guess I'm a sucker for the cute and innocent."

Juri spotted Keiko waiting for her at the school gate and thought about those girls once again. "Why couldn't I have just said 'No'?" By the time she thought she had a good answer, she was already walking with Keiko. "I heard that you are filling up for Kimiko, Juri. That's really nice of you."

"What else could I have done? By the way those girls acted, it was like they wouldn't give up, even if I would run off somewhere I think they would never find me! Determination could get you far in life, believe me!" Juri's father had once told her that while she was still young and training with the other children in her village. He was always their inspiration; especially hers. "Good times…"

She looked up to see that Keiko with 'worry' plastered all over her face. She quickly put on a smile and said, "Don't mind me! I was just reminiscing about some stuff."

"If you say so." They returned to their normal conversations till they reached Keiko's apartment. "You wanna come inside? We could do some homework and tehn go catch a movie." Remembering what Juri said about determination, she put up her most convincing look and waited for her answer. After seeing that same look on Keiko that Juri saw in the other girls at school, and remembering the advice that she had given her earlier, Juri agreed. Keiko beamed with glee.

"Great! We could call in Boton and Yukina to come with us. It will be a girls day out!" Going over homework was easy since the teachers hardly assigned them to do anything because of the festival. All except their EVIL History teacher, who gave them as much homework and projects that he legally could. "He is such a pain in the neck" agreed both girls as they looked through their history books.

After about half an hour later, both girls were looking through Keiko's closet to see anything good to wear. "Keiko, try on this halter with these pants! The guys will be all over you!" Keiko laughed nervously at Juri's selection and shook her head. "Modesty is the best policy. Let's try something else!" They continued to look for a perfect outfit for the festival until the sun was close to setting.

Keiko finally decided on pink blouse with a long white skirt with ruffled laces. "What about you, Juri? You wanna borrow some of my clothes?" Juri rubbed the back of her head and blushed a little. "Sorry, but I don't think we're the same size, if you know what I mean." Keiko looked confused a bit. "But I'm positive we are the same size. Look, our uniforms are both the same." Juri sweat dropped and continued to blus. Wasn't it obvious? "Maybe you should look a little harder in the chest area of our uniforms and we'll leave it at that."

Embarrassed at the obvious, Keiko and Juri started laughing. "Don't worry though. I got some stuff at home that I've been dying to try on. Boton bought them for me a while back, but I couldn't fit into them properly yet." Keiko eyed Juri with a motherly expression of her face, and Juri immediately caught the hint. "Don't worry! Modesty will be my _best_ quality."

After waving good-bye from outside, Juri walked toward the store. "I didn't get to play with Tawainai for a while because of school and my injuries, so I should get him something!" She went to the best pet shop to buy a big chew bone and a new doggie bed. Once again though, Hiei followed her from a distance and was only able to catch in on some portion of her thoughts.

_Well, he was out when the Yuske and his friends came by. But he'll be glad to see me when I get home! But I shouldn't have to buy him a bed, since he sleeps with me in mine. If he was a naughty boy though, I might have to make him sleep outside. But then I'll feel bad about him shivering in the cold and would bring him inside any way. He's so cute! I just wanna- _

Hiei starts to grind his teeth after he cuts the telepathic link between them."Grrr! This crazy girl is driving me up the wall! Who is this guy she's always talking about?" Hiei didn't notice that she came out of the petshop though, and didn't conclude that Tawainai was a dog, so he continued to follow her. He continued to watch her from a far, restraining himself from wanting to hear more about this 'cute' guy Juri was constantly thinking of.

Juri walked down the sidewalk with all the other busy shoppers looking for good deals and went to a floral shop. She noticed some familiar looking red hair behind a few rows of plants. "Kurama?" The red hair moved toward the end of the row and then revealed Kurama, wearing a white button up t-shirt and jeans. "Hello there, Juri. Please remember that out in public, I'm Shuichi. By the way, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I just came form Keiko's house. What are you doing here?" Kurama looked around the shop to see if anyone was looking at them and pulled her behind one of the rows of plants to the 'Rose' section. "There is a bunch of crazy girls out there looking for me. They do this every 2 weeks, hoping to catch me off guard, but they never do. Sadly, this is the last place they didn't check yet, and I'm beginning to run out of hiding places."

A light jingling of bells noted that the entrance had just opened. Juri peeked over the leaves and saw a group of girls wearing matching shirts with Kurama's face printed on it. Juri almost laughed at how they signaled each other with hand motions as if they were in the military. The girls split themselves up into groups of three and spread out through the store. Juri ducked back low again and grabbed Kurama's wrist.

"There coming from the left, middle and right aisle. We could sneak out through the back door if we get there quick enough, but we're going to have to stay down low. We're going to have to stick together though, because I'm sure you never escaped like this before." Juri was concentrating on a path to the back door that she didn't see Kurama smile in amusement at what she said. Reluctantly, he followed her instructions and kept low to the ground and they were out the back door before the crazy fan girls got to the 'Rose' section.

Outside, Juri and Kurama were running through the alley behind all the shops and took a short cut to Juri's house through the park. When they were out of sight, Juri and Kurama sat on a bench overlooking the lake, panting a little from the exercise. "Whew!" said Kurama, "That was interesting. Thank you for your help, Juri. I wouldn't have been able to get out of there if it wasn't for you." In reality though, Kurama was still chuckling inside when he remembered her grabbing his wrist and telling him that he wasn't used to making escapes like that.

"It's no problem, but I'm sorry I kinda took over like that." Juri looked across the lake and admired the moon's reflection. "It's beautiful isn't it?" said Kurama. His thought about how the beauty of the scenery was startled Juri. "O-oh, yes. It is." Even though Juri was still unaware of Hiei's presence, Kurama wasn't fooled. He pretended to look up to the starry sky, but instead was looking at Hiei's burning crimson eyes.

'What are you doing with the girl, Fox?'

'Just small talk, Hiei.'

'Feh, I know what you're doing.'

'What? I'm not doing anything.'

'Liar. You like this girl, don't you?'

'I'm just having a nice conversation with her, Hiei. At the same time, I could keep her company when I walk her home.'

'What do mean _walk her home_? You shouldn't have to do that, Fox! We don't have to keep and eye on her!'

'So, why are you following her?

'………'

'Well, isn't that peculiar.'

'What's _peculiar_?

'You like Juri. I just never thought I'd see the day you'd-'

'Don't get your hopes up, Fox. I don't like the woman.'

'But don't you think she fits your type?'

'I don't have a type of woman. Who needs someone nagging in your ear when you could leave free from all such annoyances?'

'Hmm… that means you won't mind if I walk Juri home?'

'Do whatever you wish, Fox.'

Kurama looked down at Juri who was still gazing across the lake, but she was shaking from the cold. He didn't have a coat with him, so he did the next best thing. He pulled her in for a big hug. "Kurama! Wha-wha-what are you doing?" Juri blushed furiously as her head was buried in his chest and his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Forgive me Juri, but you're freezing cold and I don't have a jacket with me to offer. It would be best to get you home now." Juri nodded her head, but she felt the warmth rush back to her body a little bit. "Thanks, Kurama."

Of course, Kurama felt an intense glare coming from the back of his head. The heat in Hiei's eyes was enough to make Kurama warm enough to keep Juri from freezing. 'Thanks for the power up, Hiei,' thought Kurama as he walked Juri home with his arms still around her. Hiei continued to glare and mutter curses under his breath as he folloed them to Juri's house.

"Thanks for walking me home, Kurama. That was really nice of you." Kurama shrugged his shoulders and watched her open her door with her house keys. "No problem. Thank you for assisting me earlier today at the flower shop. I'll see you next time." She smiled at him before closing the door. "What a sweet guy," she said, and Kurama was able to hear it through the door. So did a certain fire demon who was fuming in the inside, and so calm and unbothered on the outside.

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Hope u like the chappie! PLz. review! 


	8. Chapter 8

SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I had so moany projests due and they were all assigned by the evil history teacher, Mr. Jones. I CAN'T STAND HIM! Enjoy the chappie!

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Tawainai spread himself across the dew covered grass that morning; Juri still asleep from coming home a little later then normal. The dog raised his head a little and looked at the rose bush that he was found in. _It wasn't so long ago. I was so close… Freedom was within my grasp._

_Why, Mistress Juri, did you have to find me? If you hadn't noticed me, Master Gouta wouldn't have known about you, and I would have been able to get the rest of my pack out of his merciless control. _The dog rolled on his back to look at the sky. Blue Jays flew overhead making various patterns in the air as if they were in a ballet. _I always envied you birds. Especially through the window. Always free to go wherever you wish and never worrying about being grounded. _

Tawainai relaxed a little and felt his doggish form fade little by little. He closed his eyes and allowed the morning do its work. The sun still shown a little through his eyelids and the chirping of birds filled his now shrunken and human ears; taking in the air though his nose and out his mouth. When he opened his eyes again, he was Tai, an average looking 10 year old boy. He jumped up on his feet and brushed the bugs that were crawling on his white silk pants.

"I can't go out in public looking like this," Tai said as he looked over his attire. "I don't understand why humans are the way they are with the 'latest fashion trends'." He walked to the neighbor's house and circled it until he saw what he was looking for. An open window leading to a young boy's room; this was all he needed. "How convenient. Who leaves a window open for a theif?" Tai quietly hopped through the window and landed with a soft 'thump.' He looked at the sleeping boy, with his blanket halfway off the bed and his loud snoring practically shaking the posters on his walls.

"Ack, this room stinks! I'm glad I transformed into this human stage. My canine senses would have me passed out!" Tai quickly picked up an orange shirt and a pair of jeans before heading toward the window. "This place is a pigsty. I guess I do owe you for the loan." With rapid speed, Tai put away all the dirty clothes and rearranged all the toys so at least the floor was visible. "Since I only took two things, I'll only do two things for you." With that, the demon jumped out of the room before an astonished mother would come and question the organized room from a clueless boy.

Tai quickly changed behind Juri's house and hid his clothes in the rosebush out in the back. "She'll think I had run away, and that would make her sad. I don't want to hurt my mistress, but if Master Gouta tries to find me here, he'll find her." He quickly took his clothes out of the rosebush and looked for any clues to say that he was here. Nothing. "I have to go before-"

"Tawainai! Where are you? It's Saturday, so I get to spend the whole day with you!" Tai scampered to the other house and hid behind the trashcans. He watched Juri step outside in only her oversized shirt that covered her boxer shorts. "I hope you're not mad about how I've been leaving you at home this whole week. That's why I want to make it up to you! Come on out, boy!"

Tai felt his foot take a step closer toward his mistress. _My canine instincts are taking control! I can't risk Mistress Juri being found by Master Gouta! At least have me save one person I care about!_ But his body didn't listen. His heart didn't listen. With tears forming in his chocolate eyes, he bent over and changed to his dog form. When his transformation was complete, he crawled through the trashcans and ran to Juri. "There you are! I'm sorry I was so bad, Tawainai! Today is all about you, so I'm taking you out. This will be like… um, an official first date together! So let's go get ready!"

Juri locked the front door as usual and looked at her little puppy looking eager to get out of the house, but something about the way he looked at her made her worry. "Don't worry, boy. I won't put a leash on you. I have one in my pocket in case a police man comes by though. Let's go have some fun!" She jogged beside him with blue and white sweats and a light blue wind breaker. No one else was out in their neighborhood to greet them a 'good morning' so Juri greeted all the trees and flowers as they passed. It was like the first time she had found Tai; her voice brought life to everything.

"Let's go to the beach, Tawainai. I think the sea air will do you good," Juri laughed. The puppy barked excitedly and relaxed a bit. _Today is going to be a good day, and no one should ruin it for my mistress!_ They jogged through the park, up and down hills, and beside the main road. The distance didn't bother them a bit, and the people started to wake up.

Tawainai started to run around Juri and playfully nip at her ankles. "Oh, so you wanna play, do ya? Ok, here I come!" She chased him across the shore and around the pier, laughing at the frightened sea gulls and the receding tide that her puppy always hastily retreated from. "One day, I'll teach you to swim in the pond at home!" But there little chase ended earlier then they wanted. Juri had spotted Kurama and Hiei on the rooftop of on one the stores nearby the pier. They didn't show any signs of noticing her so she hid behind one of the pillars supporting the pier and used her trained ears to listen in on their conversation.

* * *

Hiei stood on the rail of the roof and looked out at the ocean as the sun was starting to show through the clouds. Kurama and he were told to meet up with Yuske and Kuwabara here for their next mission since one of the orges accidentally started a fire in Koenma's office while trying to make a copy of a paper. It wasn't his fault that the copy machine was used so much that it decided to blow up. But the reason didn't matter to any of them.

Since Yuske and Kuwabara were always late, Hiei wanted to _talk_ with Kurama about last night. Kurama joined him looking out at the ocean, but instead of standing on the rail, he leaned on it. "There is something on your mind, Hiei?" Hiei remained silent and didn't break his stare at the ocean. Kurama didn't react to the cold silence but instead continued to look at the waters.

But Kurama tried again. "You shouldn't take something like this so personally you know. I mean, you don't even _like_ Juri so why are you so mad?" Hiei snorted at him and kept on staring. He would try to make this as difficult for the fox as much as he could. "You shouldn't act so immature about it," Kurama said, "If you do like her, then you should tell me to keep my distance." Then a idea came to his mind. "Since she is a female demon, the rights of claiming her as a mate is free to all male demons" Kurama was smiling inside. He was determined to get Hiei to confess his feelings and was willing to annoy him as much as possible.

"If you can recall, Yuske's school already made a fan club for her so that means a whole line of competition for you. But most likely she would want one of them to be her companion since you _lack_ compassion for others. What girl in their right mind would want a ruthless demon to hold on to and-"

"Shut up, Fox. Nothing you just said concerns me." Hiei suppressed a growl. "I do not care if stupid humans want to compete for a wench like her. As I have always stated, she is not worth the effort. She isn't even worth keeping an eye on." Hiei jumped down from the rail and planted himself a little far from Kurama. "I will not be your amusement!"

"Fine, then. I guess you won't mind that I claim her for my own," Kurama simply said. Before he even blinked, Hiei's sword was against his neck. "I never said that she was up for the market," Hiei's icy voice hung in the air. "She is not to be touched and we are to make sure of that." After he put away his katana, Yuske, Kuwabara, and Boton appeared. Kurama's cool facade never left him and he chuckled inside.

"Man, you two are always early!" said Yuske. He was in a bad mood again. "Why is it that every time I feel like I have a chance to relax, there is always a demon on the loose?" Everyone was used to his complaining now so they thought noting of what he just said.

"Everyone, we got a big one this time," said Boton. "This next assignment is going to be tough. One of King Emma's prized possessions, the Eternal Elixir, has been stolen. A big shot demon named Mau has it. He is the head of the Makai black market and we believe that he will put the elixir in his stock."

Hiei and Kurama wore serious looks on their faces after the description of the demon; Yuske had changed from complaining to excited. "All right! Another bad guy to take down. This will be so easy that I won't have to cancel my date with Keiko!" Kuwabara has his usual confused look on his face. "Boton, what's so important about this elixir?"

"It's a special elixir that has the same properties with the Fountain of Youth, but has some small differences. If a certain demon drinks that, his body will receive powers that would be even too great for King Emma himself. We discovered that there is a demon who is the perfect candidate for that because he is the only one left of his kind. Apparently he loves to look for things on the black market and is a regular customer of Mau. If he were to get his hands on it, then that would be the end of the world situation."

Yuske cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Enough talk. Let's get this mission over with. I wanna pound someone in the face right now." Boton sighed and opened a portal in front of them. "Make sure you remember to bring back to elixir!" she called after them as they stepped though the portal one by one. As Hiei was about to go in, he heard a thought whisper something to his head. _Beware of Master Gouta._ The voice left as soon as it had come. Hiei told himself to remember this when he returns and disappeared through the portal.


End file.
